So you're going outside...

As states in the USA are beginning to gradually open up due to economical and sanity reasons, many of us are going outside again. The number of cases seem to be going down, it's summer, you haven't seen your friends in a couple months, why not?

From a public health standpoint, it would be advised to stay on self-quarantine the rest of the summer. While it is unrealistic to expect that, what I can do right now is give you information on how to safely go outside again. Remember, safety isn't limited to keeping yourself safe. Sometimes, safety also means not endangering those around you.

Right here is an example of something that is simply ignorant. We're in the middle of a pandemic. I get it. It was just Memorial Day weekend, but if you looked around on the way to the pool, you would've seen that all flags were at half-mast this past weekend, not just Monday. They were at half-mast because we've nearly hit 100,000 deaths.

As places open up, please act responsibly. In Seoul, it took only one infected person who went bar hopping to be linked to at least 50 coronavirus cases just as social distancing rules were lifted. Also, in case you forgot, here's a video on how easily germs spread.

The bottom line is that you CAN go outside, just please please be smart about it. Dr. William Miller, epidemiologist at Ohio State, gives a simple rule of thumb: The more time you spend and the closer in space you are to any infected people, the higher your risk. Interacting with more people raises your risk, and indoor places are riskier than outdoors.

If you're wondering if your planned outdoor activity is safe, here's more information on how experts rate the risks of 14 summer activities.